Application of Machine Vision based Measurement in Precise Assembly of Miniature Parts

In manufacturing of precise miniature devices, automatic assembly is the trend to replace manual work for better quality and higher yield. Precise measurement is a critical issue during assembly process because the parts are often complicated and quite different in size, shapes, surface condition, etc. The position and orientation error must be determined precisely before assembly. In the developed automatic assembly system, microscopic machine vision and precise linear stages were integrated in the measurement system for higher detection resolution and larger measurement range in working space. As to the extract of contour of parts with different surface condition, dynamic illumination control and different combination of feature detection algorithms were applied. The errors brought by non-perpendicularity among precision linear stages were compensated and the movement errors were reduced with effective measurement strategy. The measuring accuracy was validated with a special fabricated precise template. Assembly tests were done with the developed system and results indicate that the required position and orientation accuracy can be met successfully and consequently the assembly task can be fulfilled.